Out of the TSD blade sampler, which blades would be the most aggressive?

Here is a list of what's in it, I tried to Voshkod and it was great for three shaves. I've also tried the Sharp, but it seems like my beard killed it on the third pass. Leisureguy's books says I need to try each blade at least twice, so I'm trying it again tommorow. I plan to try them all, but a little input would be helpful as two which blades would be the more likely candidates for a heavy beard.

7 AM Platinum Hi Stainless
Astra Superior Platinum
Crystal
Derby Extra
Dorco Platinum
Gillette 7 O Clock Super Platinum
Sharp Stainless
Super-Max Super Stainless
Treet DuraSharp
Voskhod
Wilkinson Sword Classic - White Label

 

You won't like this answer, but I gotta be honest - only your face can tell you.

Blades are THE biggest YMMV item in shaving.
I know lots of folks love the D***y. I can't stand 'em. They call them smooth. I call 'em rough - they never fail to cause irritation on my neck.

That's just one example. And it's just my example. Blades - you just never can tell until you try 'em.

Oh, one other thing - I believe aggressiveness to be more "function", if you will, of the razor determined by blade gap, weight of the razor, and the shape of the head; and has little to do with the blade itself.

 

I kinda figured it would be something like that. I just grabbed the Sharp out at random. I thought it was doing great till the third pass. then it decided it was time to chew on my face.

 

yessir for me... personally Derbys, Sharks, merkurs all fall in the "i wanna chew your neck and make you look like a goof" category.

 

You saw my testing reports and you can see that there is really only one thing that cannot be duplicated and that one is the human skin. We all have different types of skin when it comes to the means of shaving and that is why you have to test. Now if you can find someone with similar conditions, you may be able to narrow your search somewhat based on their finding, but in the end, you must do the work for yourself.

Good fortune.

 

Hurray! Russian Roulette with my face!



I'll be honest. I didn't think there was going to be such big differences. I also didn't believe that even when you're trying so hard to be gentle a blade could just eat up your face so bad.

Also, thank you guys for putting up with my silly questions.

 

Just use the Voskhod and PIF the rest...

 

Well, now you understand just what my DE blade challenge was really all about!

 

I've a feeling there is going to be a lot of blood before this is over.

 

Dangit, I paid for that sampler and I'm gonna at least try each of those eleven brands!

 

Kind of funny, but the only blade in that sampler I haven't tried is the Voskhod. Though, you have a good variety there and I'm certain you'll find a few you really like. It does have 3 of my 4 favorite blades.

Also, you're technique will improve as you try the blades. That mean less blood than you're thinking right now. It also means you should keep at least one of every blade to try later since some blades will give great shaves with good technique, but will punish you severely for bad technique.

 

If you change "aggressive" to "sharper" in your opening post, after looking at the list, I want to say the 7OC may be the "sharpest" if there is such a thing. Maybe "refined edge" would be a better term? I have tried all of those blades listed and out of them, MY favorites are the Voskhod and 7OC.

 

Someday I'll get all the proper terminology down.

 

Best response as of yet .

 

Exactly! There are blades I like that other folks don't think much of. One that comes immediately to mind are Merkur. I really liked the things and I was expecting the things to maybe come to life and chew me to bits from what I read of them. They're too expensive for an everyday blade and they aren't good enough for a luxury blade, but they certainly didn't live down to the hype, at least for me.

You are 100% correct to work your way through each and every one.

I'm still a noob in my mind, I've been testing blades since March, and I'll probably be testing blades for another 5-6 months, but it needs to be done. So far I've PIFed no blades that failed the tests. There is a reason for that. Someone already wrote that you should revisit blades after technique gets better; that's why. After I'm done testing blades I plan to (hopefully) revisit the test blades and try them again. My technique is much better now than it was 6 months ago, and some of the "bad" blades may have been more me than the blades. There's only one way to find out. Too, my wife uses a Lady Gillette and leg shaving is a far cry from using a blade on the face, so she'll probably get my blade PIF.

I gotta tell you, blade testing is getting old, so I take mini vacations from it and use my SE razors and my "best" DE blades in my Slim in between testing blades. Then I go back to blade testing until I need another "vacation".

I was curious, so I counted the blades yet to be tested, 9. I also counted the blades I've tested, 20. Most were pretty good and if I had to I could easily use them. A very few were really superb and I've already stocked up on those, a very few were pure garbage.

If you do the math, in 6 months I've tested 20 blades, I have 9 more to test and I figure it'll take me 5-6 months to get through them... Something doesn't add up. The mini-vacations from testing. I'm taking more and more of them. As I already wrote, testing blades is getting old.

One reason it takes so long for me to test blades is that I also test blade longevity as well as the quality of the shave. There's only one way to test 7 shaves from one blade and that's one shave per day, so it's time consuming.

I suggest taking profuse notes as you test. After awhile the blades will all blend in your mind and the notes will keep things separate. I grade the blades 0n a 1-10 scale, but you can use any system you like. Also keep track of the blades that start out OK, but get better as the shaves progress, then after peaking, drop off in shave experience quality. It's interesting to see this happen. I read of it from others, but it was different to experience it.

 

I like your approach!
Yes to the "Mini Vacations" because you can make this become a chore again if you are not careful.

 

I have yet to get seven shaves out of any blade.

3 is the most I've gotten, and like I wrote earlier the Sharp was great till about the third pass.

My beard is the blade killer.

At least it seems that way at this time.

 

Well the blade is not the only issue.
Preparation in my opinion is more important because very few if any blades can overcome bad preparation.
How much hydration is given to your face? Hot or cold methods? Beard preparation and softening? Lather and how it is used?
Then technique.
How many passes? Which direction WTG (With the Grain), XTG (Across the Grain), or the most daunting ATG (Against the Grain)?
Have you mapped your face to see which way the grain of your hair grows in? You can do this by feel when you beard grows out a little. It helps to reduce problems and may enhance blade life.
Do a word search on face mapping if you have not done so.

Hang in there, you may find the three is the maximum and so be it.

Good fortune.

 

To be honest, I think I need to find more soaps to try. It seems like I'm getting up a good lather, and I've been doing the barber shop prep thing in the shower, it just seems like the lather on the VDH and Colonel conks tends to disintegrate rapidly. The TSD soap holds the lather great though.

I'd be buying all sorts of stuff if I didn't have to watch my budget.

 

Great performing soap on a budget - you need to try Arko. I personally don't like the citronella scent, but if it doesn't bother you it's the greatest bargain around.